Southwest Props for Customer Listening – Kinda Sorta

Everyone has heard the rumors about Southwest moving to assigned seating. They gave me the impression that they were clearly listening this morning for a moment or two.

I was sent an e-mail asking me to vote on the issue (Including using my frequent flyer number to create integrity) – though the questions were not detailed and there was no comment box option. It’s clear that they are looking at a few seating options.

OK, Dave, what could they have done better? Well, for one while they sent me the e-mail the poll is not mentioned anywhere on their blog at this time and it should be. Secondly, they should have made the poll results transparent to the voter afterwards so they got the feeling their opinion matters. But overall, props for taking the time to ask!

2 Responses to Southwest Props for Customer Listening – Kinda Sorta

Thanks for your feedback. The tough thing with this whole seating issue is that people tend to ask us a lot of questions and we feel obligated to answer those questions but we simply don’t have the time or people resources to do so. That doesn’t mean we don’t want opinions…Our CEO’s blog post (with over 500 comments) and the poll are proof of that! We’re just trying to move forward at reasonable pace..this isn’t a decision to be made quickly or lightly and you’ll definitely be seeing – and hearing – more about it in the future. Thanks for your input…it’s appreciated!

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David Dalka (twitter) is a digital business strategy professional experienced in realigning organizations to capture customer demand while improving margins. David is a motivational business keynote speaker providing customized business strategy services and corporate executive retreats. David has been cited in business publications like